Kelley Mickwee has a smokey voice mixed with honey that expresses pain and pleasure at the same time. There’s the joy of surrender in her dulcet tones. She sings about turning the other cheek and letting down one’s guard in sensual terms. Letting go takes effort, and that makes life sweeter. The ache in her throat suggests she’s been through it all. Her experience has taught her to be patient and observant. She’s learned that good things come to those who wait. As the album’s title suggests, Mickwee finds the beauty in everything.
The Memphis native cites Dusty Springfield‘s classic album Dusty in Memphis (and the Memphis Sound of her youth) as a significant influence on Everything Beautiful. From the first notes that recall Springfield’s “Son of a Preacher Man”, Mickwee combines country soul with pop influences to create catchy numbers whose surface appeal suggests the joy found in love—the great pop narcotic.
When Mickwee sings the title song, she declares that everything is beautiful because she has found true love with another human being. She keeps things light. She declares that everyday phenomena like dragonflies, clouds, sparrows, and such are wonders because she has found her soul mate. This may be trite, but no doubt it is true that a person in love sees the world through rose-colored glasses. Mickwee does an excellent job of suggesting the normalcy of such feelings.
Kelley Mickwee rarely dwells too long on a note unless she’s setting up a rush of words to follow. She has a sweetness in her voice that smooths out the rough edges of her mixed emotions. Even when she croons about being on the “Verge of Tears” or that everything “Comes Out Wrong”, Mickwee understands the benefits of feeling rather than being numb. Her vocals suggest that what is dark will someday become light, just like day follows night.
She continually varies the pace to express varied feelings. On songs such as “Let’s Run Away”, “Force of Nature” and “Joyful”, Mickwee masterfully switches the tempo from line to line, sometimes even from phrase to phrase, to express the happiness that can be found just below the surface of existence. The songs don’t build to a climax as much as they start with one. Holding back is as important as letting go.
While Mickwee deliberately made this record to capture the Memphis sound of her youth, she’s lived in Texas for several years and employs a crack band mainly from the Lone Star state. (The singer’s best known for her collaborations with Austin’s Shinyribs.) Her band features musicians best known for contributing to records by major Texas acts such as the Black Pumas, Band of Heathens, Carrie Rodriguez, Marcia Ball, and Bob Schneider. The players include drummer JJ Johnson, bassist Scott Davis, electric guitarists David Jimenez and Will Sexton, pianist Trevor Nelson, percussionist John Chipman, and organist David Boyle. They do a marvelous job of capturing the Memphis soul music vibe.
Eeverything Beautiful is gorgeous due to its delightful sounds. Some of the songs may preach surrender as the way to happiness, a sentiment that can be problematic, but its joyful pleasures far outweigh its message of submission. One may have to lay down one’s arms to retain autonomy in certain situations. However, a person doesn’t have to lose to win, as Kelley Mickwee proposes. One can use one’s arms for other purposes, as the appeal of her voice suggests.